Saudi announces vertical farming venture with US AeroFarms

Saudi announces vertical farming venture with US AeroFarms

Vertical farming is on the rise in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.













This photograph taken on June 21, 2021, shows the vertical farming system of the French company Jungle in Chateau-Thierry, east of Paris. - ERIC PIERMONT/AFP via Getty Images























February 2, 2023









The Saudi Public Investment Fund announced a new vertical farming project Wednesday, a modern urban concept of growing crops in vertically stacked indoor spaces.

The sovereign wealth fund's joint venture with US-based AeroFarms will build vertical farms in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa. It set a production target of 1.1 million kilograms (2.4 pounds) of crops per year for the venture’s first farm in Saudi Arabia, the Public Investment Fund said in a press release. 

AeroFarms did not immediately reply to Al-Monitor’s request for more information on the project. 

What it means: Vertical farming refers to the growing of crops in vertically stacked indoor spaces. The process utilizes technology to grow food in water or the air, rather than in soil. Vertical farms often use artificial light